A Molinist-Anabaptist Systematic Theology

Kirk R. MacGregor is associate professor of philosophy and religion and department chair at McPherson College. He is the author of Luis de Molina: The Life and Theology of the Founder of Middle Knowledge (2015) and A Molinist-Anabaptist Systematic Theology (2007), and he is co-editor of Calvinism and Middle Knowledge: A Conversation (2019).

As the first systematic theology of its kind, the ecumenical construction synthesizes the strengths of what are typically considered two disparate branches of Christianity, namely, Roman Catholicism and Anabaptism. Focusing on the celebrated Jesuit neo-Scholastic theologian Luis de Molina (1535-1600) and the evangelical peace communities from the early modern period onward, this system integrates the best in Catholic philosophical theology with the best historical implementations of the Free Church ecclesiological tradition. In doing so, this progressive doctrinal edifice furnishes provocative new answers to perennial quandaries. Included in this discussion are the polarity between sovereign predestination and libertarian freedom, the interaction between omniscience and God's "changing his mind," and the existence of gratuitous evil. This system breaks ground in the realm of practical theology by proposing an antithetical relationship between church discipline and the sacraments. While avoiding the either-or debate between egalitarianism and complementarianism, this theology demonstrates exegetically that women should not be restricted from holding any leadership position within the church. Drawing together these dialectical and Scriptural threads, this book advocates a social ethic that exhorts Christians to display extreme reluctance on matters of war, and to exercise discernment toward political agendas by measuring them against the Sermon on the Mount.

Part 1 Preface Chapter 2 Prolegomena Chapter 3 Scientia Media According to Molina, not Arminius Chapter 4 A Molinist and Contra-Openness Approach to Scriptural "Anthropomorphisms" Chapter 5 The Coexistence of God and Genuinely Gratuitous Evil Chapter 6 Theology Proper Chapter 7 Inerrancy and the Importance of Reading Scripture Biblio-Critically Chapter 8 The Sacraments and Church Discipline Chapter 9 Women in Ministry Chapter 10 The Historical Jesus' Non-Violent yet Socially Revolutionary Conception of the Kingdom of God Part 11 Epilogue Part 12 Bibliography Part 13 Index of Scripture References Part 14 Subject Index Part 15 About the Author